Hooten and The Lady Season 1 Episode 7 Review: Cambodia
Ron Gilmer
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The fallout from Moscow continues to haunt Hooten, but luckily Lady Alex has his back.
On Hooten and The Lady Season 1 Episode 7, the identity of Mr. Scorpion is revealed, and the shocking revelation shakes Lady Alex to the core, but she still stands by her Hooten.
We begin nine weeks after the Moscow blowup we witnessed in Hooten and The Lady Season 1 Episode 6, with Hooten doing his Indiana Jones thing in the jungles of Cambodia, but this time he has a young boy named Jian in tow.
To say this was an homage to Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom would be a major understatement: from the young boy sidekick, to the usual shenanigans in temples and ruins, replete with snakes and bad guys with guns, it's almost a carbon copy of all the well wore tropes from all the Indy movies.
This is what makes the show fun, but the continual aping of scenes and set pieces from well-known movies gets a little stale after awhile.
The whole scene where they steal the artifact and escape by the skin of their teeth at the last second was irritatingly predictable and fell flat for me.
Lady Alex was in Cambodia as well, stalking Hooten, so the idea that they would be on the outs lasted about 10 minutes.
This week's MacGuffin involved finding four artifacts to get the ultimate prize, a jewel that supposedly gives the bearer immortality.
It was a little too convenient that one of the four artifacts was already in the possession of the British Museum, which forced Hooten and Lady Alex to work together again. A weak plot point that existed only to move their reconciliation along faster.
Lady Alex: I'm worried about you, Hooten. I mean genuinely concerned.
Hooten: Is this a guilt trip about leaving me in Russia? I thought that meant we were done.
Lady Alex: It was just a spat. It doesn't mean you have to disappear off the face of the planet.
Hooten: You're still pissed about the egg. I got a bit paranoid, I admit.
Lady Alex: Your friend was murdered, and now you're hiding out here in Cambodia.
Hooten: Can't a guy have a vacation?
Lady Alex: Shutting me out-lying about where you are, and now chasing something that doesn't even exist. A jewel that bestows immortality.
Hooten: You're right. I've lost it.
Lady Alex: Then why are you doing it?
Jian was a welcome addition: his character was fun despite the lame twist at the end, which was sadly (say it with me) VERY PREDICTABLE.
The main story continues the thread that has been pulled throughout practically the entire season: Hooten's sad family background.
Alex has always been curious about his tragic past, but Hooten has never been able to tell her.
The near death escape from the minefield emboldened Alex enough to demand that Hooten tell her what the hell is going on.
Finally, Hooten came clean (sort of; more on that in a bit) about who I called Mr. Scorpion: his nemesis, the man who killed his wife and son.
Lady Alex: Who's the buyer? Who is he?
Hooten: His name is Kane, and he wants the jewel, even more than he wanted that Faberge egg. And if I can find it first I can flush him out and get what I want in return-revenge.
Lady Alex: What for?
Hooten: Killing my family. My wife and my son.
Hooten is on a mission of revenge, and it seems there's nothing Alex can do to prevent it.
I particularly liked their embrace after they were both safe from the minefield.
They clearly have deep feelings for each other: not romantic, per se, but more like a friend kind of love.
Hooten: You're going to tell me not kill him, aren't you?
Lady Alex: Will it bring them back?
Alex, of course, will never give up on Hooten.
She tries to bring out the better man in him at every opportunity, and he is a better man for having known her, even if he'll never admit it.
There was a good use of locations again, which continues to be a hallmark of the series.
The balloon scene was beautifully shot, adding to the many stunning visuals we've come to expect.
The jungles and vine covered temples always look authentic, which is hard to pull off with a TV budget.
It wasn't a surprise at all when we learned Jian was working for Kane. It never rang true that a young boy would know how to find all these artifacts, so that little plot twist was disappointing.
What WAS a surprise was the shattering revelation of why Kane and Hooten hate each other so much. Hooten has never been that forthcoming when it comes to telling the truth, but this one was a doozy.
Hooten: This is what you want. And me. Let Alex go. You just leave her alone.
Kane: Like you left my wife alone?
Lady Alex: You ran off with his wife? That is a significant detail to leave out.
Hooten: He murdered her for it. And our son.
Kane: You knew what would happen, what I do to those who betray me.
Hooten: He was a 6 year old boy, he didn't betray anybody. He just loved his parents.
Kane: I trusted you like a brother.
Hooten: She didn't love you: she was scared of you.
Kane: So you condemned her to a lifetime in hiding, wondering how long will we have? And for what?
Hooten: It was still the better life.
Kane: Is that what you tell yourself? Did your son feel the same way?
While that reveal was very shocking and satisfying, the fight between Hooten and Kane was NOT.
For all the buildup, the "fight" was a big nothing. It was interesting to see Alex having Hooten's back in the battle, but I was very disappointed in the lame fight and predictable outcome.
Kane slipped from Hooten's grasp, falling to his death, so the bad guy is dead and Hooten isn't really a cold blooded murderer. Hurrah.
It was so trite I almost expected Kane to fall into a pit of scorpions instead of vipers. At least they didn't go that route.
And just like that, it was over. The jewel is safe in the Cambodian museum, Hooten makes nice with Jian, Alex gives her bosses the Faberge egg, and all is right with the world.
All a little too pat for me.
This sets up the last episode, which turns out to be the SERIES FINALE.
Yep, The British broadcaster Sky 1 (which produced the show along with the CW) has decided not to go forward with a second season, so the next one is the last one.
The wedding of Lady Alex will likely be the focus of the finale, which means there will probably be the obligatory "will she or won't she?" drama, along with one last adventure with the lovable rogue Hooten.
All in all, this was a serviceable, if not very imaginative series. The idea of having a show that's an homage to action adventure films of the past was fresh at the beginning, but the imagination stopped there.
Locations were used to great effect, and the chemistry of the two leads was a good thing.
It was watchable for awhile, but the bland, repetitive formula caused the show to lose momentum over time for me.
My guess is Lady Alex will agonize over her impending nuptials, but will ultimately marry the exceedingly boring Ed.
That's my take: tell me yours. Do you think Lady Alex will get married? What do you think will become of Hooten? Will you miss the show? Let me know in the comments section.
Remember, you can watch Hooten and The Lady online and catch up with everything before the finale, right here on TV Fanatic.
